Various occupations place people in dangerous environments, thereby creating a need for both safety equipment and rescue equipment. For example, a person may fall down a manhole or become injured while working in a space that is accessible via a manhole. In another scenario, a person may fall down off the edge of a cliff of become injured while working on the face of a cliff. As a result, it is often desirable to provide a ground engaging structure for supporting a cable that extends downward into the manhole (or down the face of a cliff) and is capable of withstanding forces associated with arresting a person's fall and/or raising an injured person. One such arrangement is known as a davit arm, and an example of a conventional davit arm arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,439 to Baziuk. An object of the present invention is to provide an improved davit arm system.